Salvation for banana crops could come in the form of a rare Madagascan tree, which grows an unpalatable, wild species of banana that is immune to Panama disease.

Plant biologists are rushing to create a hybrid of the two species of banana in the hope of creating a infection-resistant strain.

Quarantine has showed some effectiveness as a way of limiting the spread of the fungus, but it is not a perfect method.

Whilst a portion of land may be sacrificed to protect an even larger area becoming riddled with the destructive fungus, spores remain dormant in the soil for decades, ready to flare up when the right conditions arise later on.

There are only five of the more hardy Madagascan banana trees in existence.

Richard Allen, senior conservation assessor at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew says that the rare disease-resistant species found in Madagascar (Ensete perrieri) has certain traits which make it more durable than the Cavendish banana.